3.6 Disability, Poverty and Society

Shuaib Chalklen is the former UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. During his term as UN Special Rapporteur he established the African Disability Forum and served as its first Chairperson. He currently serves as the Regional Coordinator for their Inclusion Works Program. Prior to this he worked in the Office of the President in South Africa and was responsible for developing South Africa’s first policy on disability rights. He is furthermore the co-editor of the book “Disability, Globalization and Human Rights” that was released this year. He speaks to us about:

• transitioning from being a community organizer and activist to a policy maker
• the medical vs. social model of disability
• lack of political will for disability rights 
• implementing the UN CRPD
• working at the national, regional and international levels
• addressing extreme poverty 
• the intersection of disability with race, class and other forms of discrimination
• holding governments to account
• building social movements and alliances - and much more!

He joins us from Cape Town, South Africa.